Chou Chou by Gâteaux Thoumieux

The Chou Chou sold by Gâteaux Thoumieux is an outstanding delicacy on the parisian pastry scene. Jean-François Piège and Ludovic Chaussard have elaborated a sort of Matryoshka doll cake: a small chou inside a bigger chou! Intrigued, the court of Cake Justice had to conduct a thorough investigation to better understand the Chou Chou affair. The report is astonishing.

From the outside, the cake looks like a large chou filled with praliné cream, decorated with a small gold leaf on his little cover. But amidst this cream lies as expected another small chou, filled with a rich and almost fluid hazelnut cream. The cake is limited to this construction, it is rather simple but one had to think about it.

The Chou Chou is a 60 mm tall round pastry with a diameter of 65 mm at its base. The specimen we have purchased weighs 69 grams and costs 4 euros.

The outer chou dough looks fresh and offers enough crunchiness on its surface thanks to a think craquelin layer, a sort of crispier cracker dough that is left on each chou while it cooks. The taste of butter can easily be noticed in this outer chou. The praline cream has a flavour that leans more towards almonds than hazelnuts; it is quite light and creamy in the mouth. The second inner chou is obviously softer than the outer chou because it is constantly surrounded by cream, but it’s not really moist and still retains its general shape. Its dough has a darker colour and a taste that with caramelized notes. Inside it, the Hazelnut cream is sparse with a very rich taste. However, when it mixes wonderfully with praline cream it is more than enough to flavour every bite of this cake.

VERDICT

The Chou Chou is a fun and innovative pastry despite its simplicity. The outer and the inner choux are not redundant, they are different in texture, in flavour and in content. Rather, they are complementary components of a well-thought and delightful treat, carefully designed and manufactured. The court of Cake Justice is happy to give Chou Chou an excellent appreciation.